Closed-Incision Negative Pressure Therapy Compared to Conventional Dressing Following Autologous Abdominal Tissue Breast Reconstruction: The MACVAC Pilot Randomized Control Trial.

There is equipoise regarding the use of closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) versus conventional dressings for abdominal incisions in deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction. The primary objective was to determine the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing ciNPT versus conventional dressings for abdominal incisions in DIEP flap breast reconstruction. A parallel, between-group randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted at two academic breast reconstruction centers.

Gender and race in neurotrauma: part 2-underrepresentation in clinical trial enrollment and impact on clinical outcomes.

The underrepresentation of women and racial minorities in clinical trials populations remains a persistent challenge across many medical specialties, including Neurosurgery. A diverse research cohort brings varied perspectives and experiences, which can lead to more innovative solutions to medical problems, generalizable findings, and the foundations to provide culturally competent care to the populations most affected by the condition at hand. The importance of representative Neurotrauma trial populations cannot be overstated, as results are essential to inform decision making and gender and race have both been shown to significantly influence patient outcomes, as seen in the traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury populations.

Gender and racial diversity in leadership roles within academic surgery internationally: a retrospective cross-sectional study pre-COVID-19.

Objective: Journal editorial and society executive boards have widespread impacts, however, the associated leadership diversity remains underexplored. Our study evaluated such diversity across four surgical specialties before the influences of COVID-19.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study obtained perceived gender and race of identified leaders from publicly available websites.

Complications and Burden of 2-Stage Tissue Expander to Implant-Based Reconstructive Surgery: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Two-stage reconstruction with a tissue expander/implant (TE/I) technique remains the most common breast reconstructive approach following mastectomy. This study analyzes the post-operative complications and burden associated with 2-stage TE/I reconstruction independent of acellular dermal matrix (ADM). A retrospective chart review identified patients that underwent 2-stage, reconstruction with TE/I without ADM.

Patient Factors That Impact FACE-Q Aesthetics Outcomes: An Exploratory Cross-sectional Regression Analysis.

Background: The FACE-Q Aesthetics is a validated tool for assessing patient-reported outcomes related to surgical and nonsurgical facial aesthetic treatments. Recognizing patient-specific variables that may influence FACE-Q scores is essential to control for potential confounders in research.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify factors that predict FACE-Q Aesthetics scale scores.

Establishing Convergent Validity of the FACE-Q Aesthetics Module Scales.

Background: FACE-Q Aesthetics scales can be used to assess patient-important outcomes following both surgical and nonsurgical facial cosmetic interventions. Convergent validity is the degree to which the scores of one measurement relate to another measuring a similar construct.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish the convergent validity of 11 FACE-Q Aesthetics appearance scales vs the MERZ Aesthetics (Raleigh, NC) scales.

Measuring the Impact of Surgical and Non-surgical Facial Cosmetic Interventions Using FACE-Q Aesthetic Module Scales: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The FACE-Q Aesthetic module measures patient-important outcomes following surgical and non-surgical facial cosmetic procedures. The primary aim of this systematic review was to summarize the pre- to post-intervention mean differences of facial aesthetic interventions that evaluate outcomes using the FACE-Q Face Overall, Psychological, and Social scales. Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were searched on December 20, 2022 with the assistance of a health-research librarian (CRD42023404238).

The Impact of Surgical Wait Time and Hospital Stay on the Incidence of Burn Wound Infection and Related Complications at a Single Tertiary Hospital Centre: A 10-Year Experience.

Admitted patients with burn injuries require prompt treatment and shorter hospital stays to avoid hospital-acquired infections and associated complications. This study aimed to determine the impact of time to the first surgery, and total length of hospital stay on the incidence of BWI and associated complications in adult patients with moderate burn injuries at a single tertiary hospital burn center. A retrospective chart review identified burn patients admitted to the Burn Unit between January 2011 and January 2021.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Case Volume and Wait Times of Elective Hand Procedures: A Retrospective Chart Review Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased the number of surgeries performed in North America. The purpose of this study was to compare the number of elective hand surgeries performed during the pandemic to a corresponding pre-pandemic time period and to quantify the impact to the surgical backlog in hand surgery. Patient health records for individuals who underwent surgical management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), Dupuytren's disease (DD) or stenosing tenosynovitis (time periods: March 11, 2018 to July 1, 2019 [pre-pandemic] and March 11, 2020 to July 1, 2021 [pandemic]) were retrieved from two academic institutions.

Gender and race in neurotrauma: part 1-identifying inequalities in leadership, academics, and clinical trial management.

Gender and racial equality, or the lack thereof, is a constantly recurring theme in neurosurgery and under-reported in neurotrauma literature. This perspective piece addresses the underrepresentation and challenges faced by women and racial minorities in neurosurgery, and within the workforce of neurotrauma, specifically. The literature demonstrates that there is still a scarcity of females and racial minorities in neurosurgery leadership positions and that females are less likely to receive invited papers.

Patient factors associated with novel EAR-Q appearance, psychosocial, and social scales: A cross-sectional study and regression analysis.

Introduction: The EAR-Q is a rigorously validated patient-reported outcome measure, which evaluates ear appearance and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with congenital or acquired ear conditions. The aim of this study was to conduct an exploratory analysis to examine the factors associated with EAR-Q appearance and HRQL scale scores.

Methods: In this study, 862 participants, aged 8-29 years, with congenital or acquired ear conditions, completed the EAR-Q as part of an international field-test study.

Lymphovenous Bypass for Immediate Lymphatic Reconstruction in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Axillary Lymph Node Dissection: Minimizing the Risk of Upper Extremity Lymphedema.

Background:  Studies have shown a significant reduction in breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) rates in patients undergoing complete axillary lymph node dissection (cALND) combined with immediate lymphatic reconstruction (ILR) using lymphovenous bypass (LVB).The purpose of this study was to determine if ILR with LVB at the time of cALND results in a decreased incidence of BCRL and its impact on patient quality of life (QOL).

Methods:  In this prospective cohort study, patients ≥ 18 years requiring cALND underwent ILR from 2019 to 2021.

Preconditioning program reduces the incidence of prolonged hospital stay after lung cancer surgery: Results from the Move For Surgery randomized clinical trial.

Background: Lung cancer resection is associated with high rates of prolonged hospital stay. It is presumed that preconditioning with aerobic exercise can shorten the postoperative duration of hospital stay, but this has not yet been demonstrated in trials after lung cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to perform a RCT to determine whether Move For Surgery (MFS), a home-based and wearable technology-enhanced preconditioning program before lung cancer surgery, is associated with a lower incidence of prolonged hospital stay when compared to usual preoperative care.

How Big Is Too Big? Exploring the Relationship between Breast Implant Volume and Postoperative Complication Rates in Primary Breast Augmentations.

Unlabelled: There is no consensus regarding implant size as an independent risk factor for complications in primary breast augmentation. Choosing appropriate implant volume is an integral part of the preoperative planning process. The current study aims to assess the relationship between implant size and the development of complications following augmentation mammaplasty.

Robotic thoracic surgery in Canada: Are patients willing to pay out of pocket?

Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RTS) is safe and effective, but is associated with high capital and operating costs that are not reimbursed by the Canadian government. Currently, patients have access to RTS only when it is supported by research or philanthropic funds. In a recent study, we assessed the extent of patient-reported satisfaction with RTS, whether patients would have been willing to pay out of pocket for it, and what factors were associated with patients' willingness to pay.

The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Objective: There is a paucity of literature on the impact of bariatric surgery on artificial reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. This topic should be examined, given that most bariatric surgery candidates are of reproductive age and those with obesity are significantly more likely to experience poor fertility outcomes. This systematic review aimed to determine if bariatric surgery impacts ART outcomes and if effects vary between females and males.

Outcomes in Facial Feminization Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Review literature on facial feminization surgery (FFS) for the transgender population and identify whether heterogeneity in reported outcomes and outcome measures exists across studies, as measured by a lack of consensus, and number of outcomes and outcome measures used. A search of MEDLINE and EMBASE (database inception to January 20, 2021) was performed to retrieve FFS studies. Primary outcomes included number of reported outcomes and outcome measures; secondary outcomes included clinimetric properties of outcome measures and study characteristics.

Assessments of risk of bias in systematic reviews of observational nutritional epidemiologic studies are often not appropriate or comprehensive: a methodological study.

Background: An essential component of systematic reviews is the assessment of risk of bias. To date, there has been no investigation of how reviews of non-randomised studies of nutritional exposures (called 'nutritional epidemiologic studies') assess risk of bias.

Objective: To describe methods for the assessment of risk of bias in reviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies.

The impact of bariatric surgery on assisted reproductive technology outcomes: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Individuals with obesity are at higher risk of experiencing complications during their pregnancy and may also experience infertility, requiring assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to conceive. The current body of literature demonstrates that bariatric surgery decreases an individual's risk of developing a variety of obesity-related obstetrical conditions during and after pregnancy. However, the effects of bariatric surgery on ART outcomes are not well understood.